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The Secret to Better-Than-Movie-Theater Popcorn (I Get Why It Keeps Selling Out)
Butter! Ranch! Jalapeño! And more!
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The Secret to Better-Than-Movie-Theater Popcorn (I Get Why It Keeps Selling Out)
Mara WeinraubDirector, Groceries & Shopping
published 2 days ago
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We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
[Cheerie Lane popcorn pod.]
Credit: Mara Weinraub
I may have given up my AMC Theatres membership, but I’ll never not order a tub of popcorn when I go to the movies. Nicole Kidman commercials and greasy, buttery fingers are what cinematic dreams are made of — at least mine. These days, I’m more likely to curl up on the couch than in a red leather recliner, and I’ve been looking for a fun and easy way to re-create my favorite theater snack at home.
This past fall, Micki, a shopping writer and my fellow team member at The Kitchn sampled (and raved) about Cheerie Lane Popcorn. She called it, and I quote, “seriously the best buttered popcorn I’ve ever made at home.” I immediately ordered a box, plus the variety pack of flavors, for a white elephant exchange party I had coming up. (It was the “it” gift.)
Not wanting to miss out on the flavorful fun, I ended up sampling the variety pack for myself to see if it lived up to the hype. Here’s my honest review.
Credit: Mara Weinraub
What Is Cheerie Lane Popcorn?
As the name suggests, Cheerie Lane Popcorn is a premium popcorn company that makes the first all-in-one “popcorn pod” from heirloom kernels and cacao butter. Cofounded by cousins Kate and Brad, the company is named after Cheerie Lane Farms, the original name of their fifth-generation family farm in Iowa. Since launching in October 2023, the company has released nearly a dozen flavors, including the fix sold in a variety pack: butter, jalapeño, ranch, rosemary garlic, and sea salt. Cheerie Lane also sells its heirloom popcorn kernels, limited-edition caramel corn, accessories for popping, and fun merch (including a set of corny joke cards).
[Starter Pack
$38](https://atmedia.link/product?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcheerielanepopcorn.com%2Fproducts%2Fstarter-popcorn-pods-pack&referralSource=%7BREFERRAL_SOURCE%7D&id=23772343&site=KT&refUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thekitchn.com%2Fcheerie-lane-popcorn-pods-review-23772343)Buy at Cheerie Lane
What’s So Great About Cheerie Lane Popcorn
Cheerie Lane is joy in a pod. The company and its cofounders are committed to high-quality ingredients and manufacturing that you can see and taste. The popcorn pods are made with non-GMO heirloom kernels, grown by hand on the family’s farm using organic methods, free of pesticides and individually inspected.
Credit: Mara Weinraub
The signature “popcorn pods” get their flavor from cacao butter, the natural fat from cacao beans (that gives chocolate its smooth texture) instead of traditional hydrogenated oils used to pop popcorn, and a handful of flavors (butter, parmesan), oils (lemon, dill, black pepper), and extracts (green onion, garlic, dill, rosemary, jalapeño).
There are five flavors — butter, jalapeño, ranch, rosemary garlic, and sea salt — sold in the variety pack. All but ranch are also sold individually. You can also build your own box with these flavors and others, including chai, dill pickle, marinara, and more or sign up for the popcorn of the month club to receive monthly shipments.
Credit: Mara Weinraub
My Honest Review of Cheerie Lane Popcorn
Each popcorn pod is individually wrapped in its own pouch for freshness. I removed the first pod and placed it in a medium-size pot and covered it with a vented lid, as the instructions suggest. I heated the pod over medium-low heat, shaking it carefully a few times to break up the pop as the cacao butter began to melt. Some pods arrived already broken into smaller pieces, which didn’t impact the result (it actually made the shaking part even easier).
I listened to the kernels as they popped and removed the pot from the heat once reaching three to five seconds between pops. It took a little less than 10 minutes from placing the pod to final pop — and repeated this for each flavor. (You can also microwave and heat up smaller pieces of the pods.)
Once the popcorn was ready, I transferred it to a bowl and sampled some immediately and again once it cooled to see if it impacted the flavor and texture at all. It did not.
Before I get into the individual flavors I want to focus on the kernels, which have a more complex, toasted, earthy corn taste than any tub I’ve ordered at the theater and other popcorn brands. Not a single hull got stuck in my teeth. In fact, the crisp yet delicate texture complemented the flavorings well.
Credit: Mara Weinraub
Sea Salt
This is the most classic of the flavors. It’s savory, light, and mildly earthy, with the salt enhancing the natural flavor of the popped kernel rather than overwhelming it. Each kernel was evenly salted, too, so it didn’t feel like I was tasting plain popcorn one second and a salt lick the next. If straight-up salted popcorn is what you’re after, this is a solid choice.
Buy: Cheerie Lane Sea Salt Popcorn Pods, $28.50 for 6 pods
Credit: Mara Weinraub
Rosemary Garlic
This pod had a bold rosemary scent when I opened the pouch. The flavor, thankfully, is more subtle, though there’s still plenty of that woody, pine flavor you expect from a sprig of rosemary. It was also a little buttery and evenly salted (a trend!). I didn’t get much garlic though, which is why it didn’t end up higher on the list.
Buy: Cheerie Lane Rosemary Garlic Popcorn Pods, $28.50 for 6 pods
Credit: Mara Weinraub
Jalapeño
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